1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch comprising an elastically-deformable membrane provided in a housing as a partition between a contact chamber and an actuation chamber, an actuating member disposed in the actuation chamber movable parallel to the membrane, an intermediate sheet provided between the actuating member and the membrane and having at least one tongue cut free from the intermediate sheet and supportable against the actuating member, on the one hand, and against the membrane, on the other hand, and comprising at least one contact bridge disposed in the contact chamber and actuable by the actuating member via the tongue.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a switch is known, in general, for example from the U.S. Letters Pat. 4,324,956. Given such a switch, the membrane closes the housing portion that contains the movable and fixed contacts of the switch so that such contacts are well-protected against environmental influences.
As a consequence of utilizing the membrane, however, the actuating member cannot directly influence the movable contacts of the switch. There is therefore an intermediate sheet provided between the actuating member and the membrane, which converts the motion of the actuating element, directed parallel to the membrane, into a motion directed at right angles relative to the membrane surface. The elastically-deformable membrane is thereby reversibly dented and, for example, a contact bridge that is disposed in the contact chamber of the switch housing is actuated.
The only technique known from the aforementioned U.S. Letters Pat. 4,324,956, however, is to realize a membrane sliding switch wherein two fixed contacts can be connected to one another through the membrane with the assistance of an actuating member. Given an unactuated switch, the connection between the fixed contacts of the switch is interrupted.